Shoe-tree



Dec. 19 1922. 1,439,488

A. R. SELDEN.

Sac: TREE. FILED OCT. 29. I970,

Z a NVE TOR. I BY 4 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 19, 1922.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR B. SELDEN, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

SHOE-TREE.

Application filed October 29, 1920.

new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Trees,

of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to shoe trees and more particularly to the type provided with a toe piece and a heel piece with a con v nection for efifecting a relative movement between such heel piece and toe piece, and an object of the invention is to provide a novel connection between the heel and the toe piece which will effectively force said pieces in opposite directions, while at the same time it is adjustable to adapt the tree to shoes of different sizes. Still another object of the invention is to improve that type of toe piece which is made from two members or sections adapted to be spread apart in order to expand the toe piece.

A still further object of the invention is to construct a shoe tree which will be strong and durable in use and less expensive to manufacture.

To these and other ends, the invention consists of certain parts and combinations of parts all of which will be hereinafter described, the novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a shoe tree constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the shoe tree in side elevation showing the heel and toe piece occupying the positions they would occupy when in operative position in a shoe;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the shoe tree folded to a position which it will occupy during the insertion into or the removal from a shoe;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the toe piece expanded to fit the toe of the shoe;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a section on the line G-G, Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates the heel piece and 2 and 3 the two members or sections of the toe piece, the opposed faces of these sections being provided with grooves 4, opening at the rear face of the toe piece and tapering at 5 toward the forward end of the toe piece.

Movement of the sections or members of the toe pieces to spread them apart is, in

Serial No. 420,398.

this instance, effected by a spreader 6 in the form of a sheet metal plate bent laterally to provide an upstanding flange 7 extending around the front sides and portions of the rear of the spreader, the ends of this flange being bent into parallelism as at 8 and spaced apart for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. The spreader is pro vided within the flange T with two slots 9 which diverge toward the rear of the spreader and through these slots, pins 10 extend, such pins being rigid with the two sections or members 2 and 3 of the toe piece. The innor ehds of the slots are restricted at 9* so that when the pins are at the forward ends of the slots, they will be in the restricted portions and prevent loose motion of the toe piece members or sections. With the end in view of limiting the outward swinging movement of the toe piece sections with reference to the spreader so that the forward ends of the toe piece sections will lie in proper relation for insertion in a shoe, the two toe piece sections carry pins 11 which depend from the upper walls of the grooves 4 within the flange 7 cooperating with the inner face of salt; flange to limit the outward movement of the forward ends of the toe piece sections.

The connecting means between the heel and the toe piece embodies, in this instance, a member 12 immovably secured to the heel piece 1 and having its inner pivoted end curved slightly upwardly. This member 12 is preferably formed from sheet metal bent downwardly along opposite edges to provide a channel, its free end being provided with an upwardly extending lip 13. The other member 14: is bowed from one end to the other and is formed from a strip of sheet metal bent to provide two parallel portions spaced apart and pivoted to the upwardly extending ears 8 on the spreader through a pin 15. The connecting portion 16 between these parallel portions of the member 14 acts as a stop and lies at the free end of the member, bein so formed that its opposite edges project cyond the opposite sides of the parallel portions of the member 14 so as to provide means by which the connecting means may be readily operated. The members 12 and 14 of the connecting means are preferably pivoted together by a pivot pin 17 which. in this instance, is in the form of a removable cotterpin passed through openings in the members In using the shoe tree, the connecting means is adjusted to correspond with the position.

size of the shoe. The connecting means is then adjusted in the manner indicated in Fig. 3 and the toe piece is inserted in the toe portion of the shoe. The connecting means now depressed and this causes the expansion of the toe piece due to the fact that the pins 10 travel in engagement with the walls of the slots 9. while at the same time the forward end of the spreader bears against the forward diverging walls of the roovcs 5 and spreads the forward ends of t he toe piece sections, thus causing said sections to accommodate themselves to the toe of the shoe. The pivot 17 moves down \vardly below the horizontal plane of the connections between the members 12 and 1% with the heel and toe pieces, so that the connection automatically locks itself in this In some adjustments, the lowermost position of the pivot 1T is determined by the engagement ol the member 12 with the pivot pin 1, whiie with other adjustments the lowermost position of the pivot 17 is determined by the engagement of the connecting portion 16 with the member 12. The removal of the shoe tree is efliected by pullin upwardly on the connecting portion i6 which breaks the toggle joint, thereafter permitting the heel and toe pieces to be removed from the shoe.

A shoe tree constructed in accordance with this invention provides a connection be tween the toe piece sections and a spreader with diverging slots, such connection preventing the swinging ot' the sections on the pins which operate in the slots. The spreader has upstanding flange portions which not only cooperate with pins on the toe piece sections to prevent the swinging of the toe piece sections. but also cooperate with walls ol the grooves in the sections to provide a wide bearing for the spreader. The connecting means between the heel and the toe piece is ol novel form, embodying onl two parts llt'tlllg as a toggle, one of Said toggle members being prei'erabl) rigidly connected to the heel piece, while the other is pivot-ally connrctml with the toe piece preferably through a pivotal connection with the spreader. ()ne of these. toggle members is, in this instance, l'ormed by two parallel members between which the other toggle member operates. An adj ustable connection is provided between the toggle members so that the tree may be accommodated to shoes of different sizes. The sections or members of the toe piece have two connections with the spreader, one through the walls of the slots and the other which is independent of the first maintains the toe piece members against swinging too tar on the tirst connections. The curved forward end of the spreader by cooperating with the inclined convergiiig walls of the opposed grooves, permits the two sections of the toe piece to rock slightly in order to acconmid date the toe piece to the taper of the toe of the shoe.

hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shoe tree comprisin 'ga heel piecein divided toe piece having thecpposed walls of its members )rovided with grooves, a spreader arranged to operate in said grooves and provided with diverging slots and a marginal flange, pins carried by said merit hers and operating in the slots, pins carried by said members and cooperating with the marginal flange to hold the members in proper operating relation to the spreader, and means connecting the heel piece spreader for effecting a movement be't vii'eeli said parts. ,I

2. A shoe tree comprising a heel piece a divided toe piece havini the opposed sides of its members provided with grooves' the' forward ends of which converge toward eabh other, a spreader arranged to operate insaid grooves and to cooperate with said converging walls to force the members of thetp'e piece apart and having a curved forward end, said spreader being provided with, ,di-' verging slots, pinscarriet, h'vthe toe piece members and operating in said slots and permitting the toe piece members to rock on the curved forward; end of the spreader, and connecting means between the heel pi'efde and the spreader forefi'ecting the movement betweensuch h eelpic ce and the spreader.

3. A shoe tree.co'mprisin a heel piece a divided toe piece having tie opposed si es of its members provided with groovesdt forward ends of which converge toward each other. a spreader arranged to operate in said grooves and provided with diverging slots, the forward endsot which are restricted, the end of the spreader coo 'icratim, with the converging end walls of the grooves to spread the sin-tionsv of the toe piece apart, pins carried by the toe piece sections or members and operating in said. slots beiii received in the restricted portions to lock th toe piece nienihers against free movement when the spreader isinoved toward its rear most position. and connecting means be tween the heel piece and said spreader for effecting the n'iovcinent between said parts.

1%. A Phfm tree vumprising a heel grieve, a divided two piece having the opposed Walls of its members mvnh-d with grooves, the forward encis of which converge toward each other, a spreader [mending in such grooves and having a curved Forward end eenperuting with the converging Walls, means connecting the spreadm' with the memhers 01' the {me view. Huh] means permitting Hie toe piece in rrwi; on N10 curved Forward end 01'' the spreader; um} wnneviing means be tween slush Fm-l pier-v and the spreader for effectil'lg a movement beiween the heel piece and the @preader.

ARTHUR H. SELDEN. 

